Letter inverter



Aug- 2, 1960 H. s. HAzELToN, JR 2,947,406

LETTER INVERTER Filed Dec. 31. 1958 2 Sheets-SneekI 1 mf n, m r /R ms mV ww H e All@ 2, 1960 H. s. HAzELToN, JR 2,947,406

LETTER INVERTER Filed Dsc. 3l, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 EN R. f/115; 5, ze/f V ATTORNEY United States Patent() LETTER INVERTER Henry S. Hazelton,Jr., White Plains, N.Y., assigner to Pitney-Bowes, Inc., Stamford,Conn., a corporation of i Delaware Filed Dec. si, 195s, ser. No. 784,2557 claims. (ci. 19e-33) This invention `relates lto apparatus forhandling letters and `to a new letter reorienting device for use withautomatic stamp cancelling machines and in similar and related letterhandling methods.

In automatic stamp cancelling machines, provision is made for -receivingand Vsupporting on their longitudinal edges `a stack of unfaced andunoriented letters of random lengths and heights coming within thelimits for which the machinesare designed. The letters are then advancedone by one to a stamp cancelling mechanism which is so constructed `andarranged that when a stamp along the lower longitudinal edge portions ofa letter is sensed and cancelled the letter is deposited in one ro'ceptacle or `another depending on how each letter happens to be`facing. If no stamp cancelling operation is performed on a letter, forinstance when no stamp is sensed along the lower edge portions of aletter, the letter is rejected and separated `from those on which thestamp or stamps have been cancelled. Such rejected letters may becollected in a stack which may be bodily inverted and replaced as agroup in the same or another stamp sensing-and cancelling machine. Whenthis is done, the former upper longitudinal edges of the letters becomethe lower longitudinal edges so that they. are in position to be sensedand have stamps thereon cancelled.

` However, to avoid double handling of the letters, it has 4been foundadvantageous to individually invert the positionof each letter rejectedby the first cancelling machine yand advance it to a second cancellingmachine in an inverted position where the stamps on the then lowerlongitudinal edges of the letters may be sensed and cancelled.

` It is an object for the present invention to provide improved meansfor transferring and inverting letters passing from arirst cancellingmachine to `a second cancelling machine in such a way ias to minimizebodily twisting and distortion of the letterbeing transferred andinverted.

Another object of the present invention is to provide lettertransferring and inverting means which is so con- Vstructed and arrangedas to receive and advance letters of. various heights within the limitsfor which the ma chine is designed wand yet deposit each inverted letterwith its then lower edge on a receiving table of the second cancellingmachine.

An :important feature of this invention is the provision of a simplerelatively inexpensive letter feeding and p inverting device which maybe operated at high speed and yet requires a `minimum of attention andservice.

These objects and advantages are accomplished Aby `the present inventionin theA form illustrated as exemplary thereof by providing continuouslytraveling letter 'advancing` means including a iirst belt section and asecond belt secnon traveling together in contact and positioned toreceive the letters between them one at a time. The `belt sections areso guided that they cross over the letter path with` the result that aletter frictionally engagd `between the belt sections is inverted and isdis- 2,947,406 Patented Aug. 2, 1960 charged from the sections of thebelt at the delivery end of the device. Preferably the belt is.continuous and is circular in cross section which is so .trove overlianged pulleys as to cause the belt sections to cross the letter path.The belt may be of rubber or other elastomeric friction material so asto frictionally engage and hold each letter as it is advanced andinverted. Since the belt sections make virtually line contact with theopposite sides of the letter, the letter rotates on a longitudinal axisand `is inverted with a minimum amount of twisting and distortion.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

For the purposes of illustration and explanation, the invention is shownin detail in its preferred form in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a-top plan view of apparatus for sensing and cancellingAstamps on letters and including the letter, transferring and invertingdevice of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view showing the manner in Which the lettersare advanced and separated, the letters being inverted between the firststamp cancelling machine and the second stamp cancelling machine;

, 1Fig3 isV `a plan view of the letter transferring and inverting deviceofthe present invention; and

Fig. 4 is a-front elevation ofthe device shown in Fig. 3.

As lillustrated in Fig.` l, the apparatus comprises a iirst stampcancelling machine ,10 and a second stamp cancelling machine 11 betweenwhich is interposed the letter transferring and inverting device 12 ofthe present invention.

Each cancelling machine has a pair of power driven feed belts y13defining the letter path through the machine. The belts are located`above a table 14 and the arrangement is such that the tables 14 of thecancelling machines 10 and 11 are located on the same horizontal plane.The tables 14 serve as guide surfaces on which the lower longitudinaledges of the letters travel while the letters are held in a verticalposition by being engaged between and fed by the belts 13.

#Each cancelling machine has stamp cancelling dies =15 for cancellingstamps on the lower leading edge portions of the letters and stampcancelling dies 16 for cancelling stamps on the lower trailing edges ofthe letters. The operations of the cancelling dies are controlled by astamp sensing device 17 for the stamps .at the leading edge of theletters and a stamp sensing device 18 for stamps at the trailing edgesof the letters.

i Each cancelling machine also comprises a pair of gates i19, thepositions of which are controlled by the sensing devices 17 and 18 todivert letters having cancelled stamps thereon into a stackingcompartment 20 or 21` dependingon whether the stamp is located at theleading edge or at the trailing edge of the letter. The result of thisis, as shown in Fig. l, that all the letters in the compartment 20A willbe facing in one direction and form a stack"20a and all the letters inthe compartment 21 will be facing in the other direction and form astack 20b The stamp Vsensing devices also control the gates 19 so thatif no stamp is cancelled on a. letter it will continue on the letterpath to a pair of feed rollers 22.

In the embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, the firstcancelling machine 10 dilers from the second cancelling machine 11 intwo respects. The cancelling p machine 10 has a letter feeder device 23including mechanisrnA 24 for feeding one letter at a time from a stackof letters `23a contained in the feeding device. The sec.- ondcancelling machine 11` does not require the feeder 23 since it receivesthe letters, as will bepointed out below,` directly from thetransferring and inverting `device 12. Thecancelling machine 11 does,however, have a stacking compartment 25 to receive rejected letters andform a stack 25a, i.e., letters which have had no stamps cancelledthereon after passing through both cancelling machines. The stackingcompartment 25 receives such rejected letters directly from the feedrolls 22 of the cancelling machine 11. The first cancelling machine doesnot have a stacking compartment for the rejected letters since suchletters are fed by its feed rolls 22 directly to the transferring andinverting device 12.

The letters are placed in the feeder 23 of the cancelling machine 10 tobe supported on their lower longitudinal edges without being faced andwithout being oriented with regard to the position of the stamp-carryingedge portions of the letter. Y

The sensing devices 17 and 18 sense only the lower longitudinal edgeportions of the letters and therefore 4the letters having no stampsorstamps at the upper longitudinal edge portions are rejected by thecancelling machine 1t) and pass through the gates 19 to the rollers 22.Since the letters are of random heights, it is not possible to pass therejected letters directly to the second cancelling machine since therewould be no way of anticipating at what height the stamps on the upperlongitudinal edge of the letter would be located.

lt is therefore necessary to invert the letters which are rejected bythe cancelling machine 10 so that the upper longitudinal edge becomesthe Vlower longitudinal edge and to cause the lower longitudinal edgesof the successive letters to travel in the same plane. Y

This is accomplished by the present invention by a simple relativelyinexpensive letter feeding and inverting device which can be operated athigh speeds and yet require a minimum of attention and service. Such adevice is illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 and comprises a base plate 26 onwhich there is supported on posts 27 a feed table 28 which receives theletters one at a time from the feed rolls 22 of the cancelling machine10. Also supported on the base plate 26 are two posts 29, one located oneach side of and adjacent the path of the letters and at theintroductory side of the transferring and inverting device 12. Alsomounted on the base plate 26 are two posts 30, one positioned at eachside of the letter path and located at the delivery side of thetransferring device. The posts 29 carry tlanged pulleys 31 and the posts3i) carry hanged pulleys 32. The pulleys 31 and 32 support and guide acontinuous belt 33 which is so rove over the pulleys 31 and 32 in that afirst section 33a and a second section 33b travel in the same directionand are in contact `for a substantial distance as they travel betweenthe pulleys 31 and 32. Further, the belt 33 is so rove over the pulleys31 and 32 that each of the sections 33a and 33b respectively travelsfrom the pulley 31 at one side of the letter path to the pulley 32 atthe other side of the letter path, with the result that the sections 33aand 33b cross over the letter path as they travel from the introductoryside of the transfer device to the delivery side.

The pulleys 31 are so spaced apart that a throat por-Y tion 34 is formedbetween the approaching belt sections and it is into this throat portionthat the leading edge of an advancing letter extends. The belt 33 ismade of friction material such as rubber or other elastomeric materialand thus the leading edge and subsequent pore tions of the letter aregripped between the belt sections 33a and 33b. y

The effect of the belt sections 33a and 33b crossing over the letterpath is to cause them to contact each other on a helical line. Sincethis is the line at which the letter is engaged, as the letter advancesfrom the location of the pulleys 31 to the location of the pulleys 32,it is rotated about a longitudinal axis. Since the helical line ofcontact extends .for 180, the letter will be rotated 180, as illustratedin Fig. 2, to completely invert the letter as iti travels to thedelivery side of the device Where it is Yreleasedrfrom the grip of thebelt sections. ToV

4 facilitate the release and discharge of the inverted letter, the post30 and the pulleys 32 are spaced slightly further apart than the post 29and pulleys 31.

The return sections 33e and 33d of the belt run from the pulleys 32 tothe pulleys 31 and are arranged so as to extend beyond the range ofmovement of the highest letters for which the device is designed so asnot to interfere with the inverting movement of the letters as they areadvanced by the belt sections 33a and 33b. While this spacing may beprovided for by any suitable means such as additional outwardly spacedidler rollers, in the form of the invention herein illustrated, thepulleys 31 and 32 are of such diameters as to space the return sections33C and 33d from the sections `33a and 33b the necessary distance fromthe letter path.

To complete the desired cross over movement of the belt sections 33a and33b before they reach the pulleys 32, auxiliary pulleys 35 and 36 may beprovided to engage respectively the upper surface of the belt section33a and the lower surface of the belt section 33b. 4The pulleys 35 and36 are mounted on brackets 37 and 38 so that the pulleys are locatedsomewhat to the rear of the pulleys 32.

When the letters are discharged from the belt sections they aredeposited in amanner explained below on a receiving table 39 which is acoplanar extension of the table 14 of the cancelling machine 11.

The pulleys 31 are so located vertically with relation to the base 26and feed table 28 that the belt sections will engage letters L of themore common height substantially on their longitudinal median line. Itfollows, therefore, that letters of greater height, such as the letter Lshown in dot-and-dash lines in Fig. 4, would'be engaged below thismedian line, and therefore when a letter, such as the letter L', isinverted it would extend downwardly further (see letter L2 in Fig. 4)from the delivery end of the belt than letters L of common height. i

To permit handling letters of various heights within the limits forwhich the transfer device is designed, the posts 30 and pulleys 32 arehigher than the posts 29 and pulleys 31 so that the belt sections 33aand 33b incline upwardly away from the introductory side of the device.The result of this is that the letters of even maximum height willarrive at the delivery end of the beltV sections so that their loweredges are above the plane of the receiving table 39. The posts 29 and 30are nclined slightly so that the pulleys 31 and 32 are at the correctangle to receive the belt 33.

In order to deposit the inverted letters delivered by the belt sections33a and 33b on the table 39, the present invention provides means at thedelivery end of the transfer device forV urging letters there deliveredone at a time forwardly and downwardly onto the receiving table 39. lnthe form of the invention herein disclosed, this means comprisescylinder-like members rotated on axes inclined to the perpendicular andhaving weak frictional engagement with the letters delivered to it bythe belt sections for yieldingly urging the letters there delivered oneat atime forwardly and downwardly onto the receiving table 39. Thecylinder-like members may be in the form of power driven elongatecooperating brushes 40, one located at each side of the letter path, andpositioned to engage the leading edge portion of the letter before it isreleased by the belt sections 33a and 33b and carry it away from them.In addition to the rotary brushes 40, there is another pair of powerdriven rotary brushes 41 which receives the leading edge portion of theletter delivered to them by the brushes 40 and continues thedownward-,movement of the letter and urges its lower -longitudinal edgeagainst the table 39 -just before the leading edge portion of the letterengages the belts 113 of the cancelling machine 11. The bristles of thebrush are sufficient-ly flexible to more or less impositivelyV engagethe faces of the letters and to slip thereon when the longitudinal loweredge of the letter reaches the table 39 which occurs sooner or laterdepending on the height of the particular letter being handled.

The brushes 40 and 41 have shafts 42 having lower bearings 43 in a plate44 and upper bearings 45 in a plate 46 supported by abracket 47.4 4Theshafts 42 for the brushes may bepower driven in any suitable manner. Asshown., the shafts 42 for the brushes 41 are connected by gearing48located under the table 39 and the brushes 40 and 41 at each side of theletter path are driven in unison by belts 49.

What is claimed is: t

In astampcancelling machine, a first stamp cancelling mechanism; asecond stamp cancelling mechanism in line with and spaced from said rstcancelling mechanism and adapted to receive letters from the latter onwhich no cancelling operations have been performed;

a letter transferring device located between said first and secondcancelling mechanism and comprising a feed table on said rst cancellingmechanism for receiving letters from said first cancelling mechanism andsupporting and guiding the letters on their longitudinal edges, areceiving table connected with said second stamp cancelling mechanism onwhich the letters are deposited on their longitudinal edges, a letteradvancing means beltween said feed table and said receiving table, saidadvancing means comprising means for receiving letters one at a timefrom the feed table, advancing each letter toward said receiving tableand simultaneously inverting each letter on a longitudinal axis as itadvances, the receiving end of said advancing means being spaced adeterminate distance above the plane of the feed table whereby a letterof common height will be engaged on or closely adjacent its longitudinalmedian line while letters of greater than common height will be engagedbelow their longitudinal median lines, the delivery end of saidadvancing means being spaced a distance above said receiving tablesubstantially greater than said determinate distance whereby the loweredges of inverted letters of all heights for which said device isdesigned arrive at the delivery end of the advancing means at orsubstantially above the plane of the receiving table; and means at thedelivery end of the advancing means for urging letters there deliveredone at a time forwardly and downwardly onto the receiving table of thesecond cancelling mechanism.

2. In a stamp cancelling machine, a letter handling device comprising afeed table for receiving letters and supporting and guiding the letterson their longitudinal edges, a receiving table spaced from said feedtable on which the letters are deposited on their longitudinal edges, aletter advancing means between said feed table and said receiving table,said advancing means comprising means for receiving letters one at atime from the feed table, advancing each letter toward said receivingtable and simultaneously inverting each letter on a longituditudinalaxis as it advances, the receiving end of said advancing means beingspaced a determinate distance above the plane of the feed table wherebya letter of common height will be engaged on or closely adjacent itslongitudinal median line while letters of greater than common heightwill be engaged below their longitudinal median lines, the delivery endof said advancing means being spaced a distance above said receivingtable substantially greater than said determinate distance whereby thelower edges of inverted letters of all heights for which said device isdesigned arrive at the delivery end of the advancing means at orsubstantially above the plane of the receiving table, and means at thedelivery end of the advancing means for urging letters there deliveredone at a time forwardly and downwardly onto the receiving table.

3. The machine as defined in claim 2, in which the feed table and thereceiving table are located in the same horizontal plane and the letteradvancing means is inclned upwardly and away from the feed table tospace the delivery end of the letter advancing means a greater distanceabove the receiving table than the receiving end of the advancing meansis spaced above the feed table.

4. The machine as defined in claim 2, in which there are means at thereceiving table for advancing the letters beyond the means for urgingthe letters forwardly and downwardly onto the receiving table.

5. In a stamp cancelling machine, a letter handling device comprising afeed table for receiving letters and supporting and guiding the letterson their longitudinal edges, a receiving table spaced from said feedtable on which the letters are deposited on their longitudinal edges, aletter advancing means between said feed table and said receiving table,said advancing means comprising belt means having two engaged sectionstraveling in the same general direction for receiving between themletters one at a time from the feed table, advancing each letter towardsaid receiving table, said sections having a helical line of mutualengagement extending for about to invert each letter on a longitudinalaxis as it advances, the receiving end of said belt sections beingspaced a determinate distance above the plane ofthe feed table whereby aletter of common height will be engaged on or closely adjacent itslongitudinal median line while letters of greater than common heightwill be engaged below their longitudinal median lines, the delivery endof said belt sections being spaced a distance above said receiving tablesubstantially greater than said determinate distance whereby the loweredges of inverted lettersof all heights for which said device isdesigned arrive at the delivery end of the belt sections at orsubstantially above the plane of the receiving table, and means at thedelivery end of the advancing means for urging letters there deliveredone at a time forwardly and downwardly onto the receiving table.

6. In a stamp cancelling machine, a letter handling device comprising afeed table for receiving letters and supporting and guiding the letterson their longitudinal edges, a receiving table spaced from said feedtable on which the letters are deposited on their longitudinal edges, aletter advancing means between :said feed table and said receivingtable, said advancing means comprising belt means having two engagedsections traveling in the same general direction for receiving betweenthem letters one at a time from the feed table, advancing each lettertoward said receiving table, said sections having a helical line ofmutual engagement extending for about 180 to invert each letter on alongitudinal axis as it advances, the receiving end of said beltsections being spaced a determinate distance above the plane of the feedtable whereby a letter of common height will be engaged on or closelyadjacent its longitudinal median line while letters of greater thancommon height will be engaged below their longitudinal median lines, thedelivery end of said belt sections being spaced a distance above saidreceiving table substantially greater than said determinate distancewhereby the lower edges of inverted letters of all heights for whichsaid device is designed arrive at the delivery end of the belt sectionsat or substantially above the plane of the receiving table, andcylinder-like members rotated on axes inclined forwardly to theperpendicular and having weak frictional engagement with a letterdelivered by said belt sections for yieldingly urging letters theredelivered one at a time forwardly and downwardly onto the receivingtable.

7. In a stamp cancelling machine, a letter handling device comprising afeed table for receiving letters and supporting and guiding the letterson their longitudinal edges, a receiving table spaced from said feedtable on which the letters are deposited on their longitudinal edges, aletter advancing means between said feed. table and said receivingtable, said advancing means comprising belt means having two engagedsections traveling in the same general direction 'for receiving betweenthem letters one at a time from the yfeed table, advancing each lettertoward said receiving table, said sections having arhelical line ofmutual engagement extending for about 180 to invert each letter on alongitudinal axis as it advances, the receiving end of said beltsections being spaced a determinate distance above the plane of the feedtable whereby ak letter of common height will be engaged on or closelyadjacent its longitudinal median line while letters of greater thancommon height willY be engaged below their longitudinal median lines,the delivery end of said belt sections being spaced a distance abovesaid receiving table substantially greater than said determinatedistance whereby the lower edges of inverted letters of all heightsV'for which said device is designed arrive at the References Cited inthe l'e of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSV 873,633 Thomas Dec. y10,1907 j 1,719,175 Finn July Q, 1929 Forty Aug.' 2, 1955 figlia.,

